25 Books to Remember from 1996

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Books to Remember is an annual list of 25 titles chosen for their distinct and lasting contribution to literature and/or to knowledge for the general adult reader. Selection criteria include literary excellence, information value and importance, sincerity and honesty of presentation, skill in presentation, and importance in historical context.

You can obtain a free copy of this list at any branch of The New York Public Libary. Titles on this list can be reserved for you free at your local branch.

Common Carnage
Stephen Dobyns
Penguin Poets [811-Dobyns]
69 poems meditating on the tragedies of life—modern and Homeric, epic and mundane.

The Discovery of Heaven
Harry Mulisch, Translated by Paul Vincent
Viking [FIC-M]
The fated meeting of an astronomer and linguist begins the staggering process by which God will break His covenant with humankind.

Dr. Neruda's Cure for Evil
Rafael Yglesias
Warner [FIC-Y]
A Cuban-American psychiatrist explains his obsession with the nature of evil through a detailed examination of his life and work.

We Were the Mulvaneys
Joyce Carol Oates
Dutton [FIC-O]
When you can't protect the ones you love, it can tear you apart.

These books were selected by the following committee from the staff of The New York Public Library:
Janet Campano, Co-Chair
Nancy A. Farrell, Co-Chair
Rita E. Neri
Alice C. Phillips
Richard Reyes-Gavilan
Gwendolyn Taylor-Davis
Michael W. Watkins